Integrated Cap Plate Gasket for Battery Sealing and Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cylindrical secondary batteries face a trade-off between sealing performance and capacity, as increasing gasket thickness for better sealing reduces the available space for the electrode assembly, thereby decreasing battery capacity.
Innovation Solution
A secondary battery design featuring a cap assembly with a gasket integrated with a cap plate, including a sawtooth-shaped coupling part and a reduced thickness in certain areas, allowing for improved sealing while maximizing electrode assembly space and capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If gasket thickness is increased to improve sealing performance, then sealing performance is improved, but battery capacity decreases due to reduced electrode assembly space
Solution Approach 1:
The gasket is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, featuring a first region with greater thickness for enhanced sealing at critical interfaces, and a second region with reduced thickness to minimize space occupation. This local differentiation allows the gasket to provide adequate sealing performance at key locations while preserving maximum volume for the electrode assembly in less critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The gasket is divided into multiple functional regions (first region and second region) with different thickness characteristics. This segmentation enables the gasket to fulfill multiple functions: providing robust sealing where needed while minimizing overall volume consumption, thereby resolving the contradiction between sealing performance and battery capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If gasket thickness is reduced to increase electrode assembly space, then battery capacity is improved, but sealing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly reducing gasket thickness, the invention applies local quality by concentrating sufficient thickness in the first region where sealing is critical, while allowing reduced thickness in the second region. This ensures sealing performance is maintained at key interfaces while maximizing overall battery capacity.
3Ease of manufacture
If cap plate and gasket are manufactured separately and assembled, then manufacturing flexibility is improved, but assembly complexity and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cap plate and gasket are merged into a single integrated component manufactured through double injection molding. This eliminates the need for separate assembly operations, reduces part count, simplifies the manufacturing process, and decreases assembly time while maintaining the functional benefits of having distinct cap plate and gasket regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design maintains sealing performance while increasing the battery's capacity by optimizing the gasket's thickness and structure, enhancing the overall efficiency of the battery.
Implementation Method 1
The coupling part may have a sawtooth shape in cross-section... The gasket and the cap plate may be provided through double injection
Implementation Method 2
The gasket and the cap plate may be provided through double injection
Data Source
AI summary
A secondary battery may include a can having one end opened, an electrode assembly accommodated in the can, a cap plate coupled to the one end of the can that is opened, and a gasket surrounding at least a portion of top and bottom surfaces of the cap plate and integrated with the cap plate. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cap plate and the gasket may be integrated with each other to reduce costs and assembly time. In addition, the thickness of the gasket at the lower portion of the cap plate may be reduced to secure the space for improving the battery capacity while maintaining the sealing performance.